Progress
by Kitten Little
Summary: I thought I was making progress, but I guess I wasn't. I'm sorry, but I have do this. *Five years after Stuck.*
1. What Could Have Been

**Please read Stuck first!**

**1. What Could Have Been**

"Miss Cullen? Miss Cullen!"

I wasn't paying attention to the teacher. What was a nineteen year old trapped in a fourteen year old's body supposed to do in the seventh grade? I knew that one or more of my siblings were keeping their sixth senses trained on me. There's nothing you can do when one brother was telepathic, one was an empath and a sister could see the future.

Don't get me wrong. I loved my siblings. Jasper, the over-protective temperamental one, tended to underestimate me. Edward was patient and kind but tended to constantly correct me. Emmett was big, loveable and insightful. Bella was probably the cool, laid back one. Alice was hopelessly perky, but that's coming from someone who's moody. Rosalie? I still didn't understand her after five years.

Oh, wait, have I forgotten something? Obviously. You're probably stuck on the 19-14-7th thing. We're vampires or least everyone mentioned and my parents. The rest of our group is either shape-shifters or Nessie. Nessie is half human half vampire, but that isn't irrelevant.

Anyway, back to what was on my mind when I was sitting in math. It had wondered down my darker path to a vampire name Riley. Riley had been in middle school with me the first time and we hit it off once we were both vampires. He had been killed by either Edward or Seth Clearwater (I don't know which) when my army attacked the Cullen coven. The Cullens cared about me and took me in, but at first I hated their guts. It was an understandable but unnecessary hatred, fueled more by my human past then by them.

"Miss Cullen! BREE!"

"22 over 7 times the radius squared," I said, looking up from my blank note book. "Or pi r2."

"Thank you, Miss Cullen. Try to pay attention next time I call on you, please. The assignment is on page 78, due that the beginning of the day tomorrow."

The bell rang. When I got into the hall, I flipped open my cell phone. It was a text from Alice. _You were distracted. Y?_

Using my vampire speed, I texted back, _just thinking about what could have been._

_Riley?_

The next one was from Jasper. It must have been lunch time at the high school. _He's been dead for five years, Bree. Move on._

The next one came from Alice. _UR lucky Embry is 2 old to pass for an hs student._

Embry Call was a shaper shifter and my closest friend. He was the only one that understood everything that went on in my head, even if Edward was the one that heard them. There's always been something more there, but I wasn't ready. _He's the 1 dude I 3. I miss him. _I turned off my phone and went to class.

---

Edward was staring at me when he picked me up from school. "Do you want to talk about Riley?"

"With you?" I snorted. "You killed him, Edward. I don't think you can help me."

"Bree, I thought we were past the avoidance of questions."

"I don't push me; I'll push back." I replied, staring at him, eyes as wide as I could. "And you're driving. I think getting a car accident and coming out uninjured might cause problems."

"You shouldn't be repelling anyone right now. You know it's dangerous for you to lose control around humans."

"I haven't killed anyone since I've been apart of this family, Edward. I'm not too dangerous. People avoid me. I repel them without meaning to. I'm incapable of getting close to people. You know that, dude." I was on the defense, something that happened easily.

"I know. Relax." He pulled the car over. "Get it out before Jasper decides you've crossed the line again."

"He always thinks I'm crossing the line, dumbass," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

We stepped out of the car and into the rainy woods. Edward voice was still gentle. "You don't have to talk, Bree. I know this isn't always easy for you. Maybe you need to go back to being homeschooled."

"You know I hated that little experiment," I grumbled. "Why exactly are you the one taking reasonability for me this time?"

"Jasper was on edge today. He's about to snap. I think it's best for you two to stay clear of each other."

I didn't reply because I felt a familiar pushing in my head. I glared at my brother. "Don't test me, dude."

The pressing stopped. "Bree, it's been five years. You know you can trust me." It was replaced by a gentle pressing on my arm. "Talk to me, Bree."

My Newborn army past resulted in an automatic response to the order. "I can't stop thinking about him, Edward! I kissed him, damn it! If he hadn't made me promise to stay alive, I'd be ashes! How the hell am I supposed to move on from that, dude? When you can't sleep, you can't help but think about the past!"

There was no doubt in my mind that Alice had predicted this. Edward was standing there, hand taking more comforting position. "All of our thoughts get dark, Bree. We don't hold it against you."

After several intense yet silent minutes, I asked, "Have you gotten a look inside Embry's mind lately, Edward?"

"You've been thinking about Riley because you're scared of getting closer to Embry."

He didn't need to read my mind to see that. It was probably written all over my face. "I cracked his head open once, remember? I'm bad for him."

"But he's good for you," Edward replied. "You almost look human when you're around him."

"Ha," I laughed flatly. "I look like a shrimp. I'm not even five feet tall and he's what? Six five."

"He thinks you're a cute shrimp."

"He _thinks_ I smell like cookies! Do I smell like cookies?"

"Food and my olfactory system do not get along. If I said you smelled like cookies, it would be an insult."

"But from him it's a compliment?" I rolled my eyes. "I don't understand men."

"Talk to him, Bree. You have nothing to be scared of."

**And Now, A Message from Our Authour:**

**Sorry it's taken so long. I've been in and out of the hospital. I'm having serious memory problems and I'm blacking out and shit. Hopefully, my brain will start working correctly again and I i'm remember to keep posting. The next chapter will take a while to come up. Oh, and hopefully the dudes will be cut down. I'm not even sure how Stuck got so many....**


	2. Only a Matter of Time

**2. Only a Matter of Time**

"Hey, Embry," I said, pulling Embry outside. "We need to talk."

My wolf shifting best friend's smile wavered. Dude was missing from my statement. I used it for everything, when I was pissed, happy, confused, hurt, or neutral. I only didn't use it when I was being deathly serious. That happened rarely. "Is something wrong, babe?"

"I can't keep doing this," I whispered.

"Doing what?" he asked, warm hand touching my face.

"Acting like we have something when we obviously can't. I need someone my own species. I could seriously hurt or even kill you in the blink of an eye. I'm not asking you to leave, but, please, I—I—I guess I just need some space." I didn't move.

"Are you going to try to find Zane?"

Zane used to be my brother. We had the same parents and we are both vampires but we don't get along. He's a nomad; I enjoy life with the Cullen family. Or at least I used to. "I'm not leaving, Embry. I need you to not get too close. My head's not a good place right now. They're afraid I'm going snap."

"Are you going to snap?"

"I don't know. I haven't asked Alice," I mumbled. "Right now, I'm trying to find what could make me snap."

"You think it's me."

"I don't know," I said again, anger rising into my throat. "I'm not sure what's happening to me. It's almost like I'm still fourteen. Dude," I suddenly knew what was wrong. "Jasper was right! I _am_ an immortal child!"

Embry was instantly about a yard from me, looking frightened. I had repelled him. "Bree, you don't have to push me away this way. If you want me to leave, I can turn and never look back. If this is what you need to move on, I understand."

"No. You can't go. You're in Jake's pack and Jake's not likely to leave the little dude." Little Dude is my nickname for the already nicknamed Nessie. It hardly works, saying as the five year-old hybrid is nearly half a foot taller than me now. "The pack and the tribe are everything, aren't they?"

"Yeah, you're right," he sighed. "We both need to stay with our families."

I hated when Embry did this. He automatically agrees with anything I say. "Stop agreeing with me!"

He blinked a few times in surprise. "What? Bree, I thought you wanted me to agree with you."

"No, damn it! I'm trying to tell you we'll never be more than friends! I want you to tell me I'm wrong! You never fight me over any thing! We don't have a normal, dynamic relationship! If you really cared about me, dude, you'd tell me I'm being stupid!"

"So, what you're saying is that you want me to lie? Because I all I want is for you to be happy."

"I'm not happy, dude! I want you realize that I'm more than just cute little girl! I'm nineteen, damn it! Just because I look like I'm ten doesn't mean I want to be treated like I am!"

Suddenly, he pulled me dangerously close to him, bent down, and kissed me on the lips. It was a good method for getting me to shut the hell up. He lifted me up a few inches and then sat me down. As we pulled apart, he said, "Would I kiss a ten-year-old like that?"

I looked away, black hair falling across my face in embarrassment. "No, I doubt that you would."

Emmett came out at that exact moment. "It's about time that happened."

"It's about time what happened?" I asked in false innocence, while Embry's cheeks darkened in similar embarrassment.

"Nothing happened, Cullen," Embry tried to assure.

"Oh, come on, dog boy. It was only a matter of time. You've been in love with my baby sister for years."

"He was trying to get me to shut up, dude," I told my brother softly. "Really, it was nothing."

"Bree, I'm not stupid." He glared down at me. "That may have started as a shut up kiss, but it was more than that by the end."

Embry and I looked at each other, and then I broke eye contact with both him and Emmett. "It wasn't that long," I mumbled. "I gotta go run or something. Sorry."

---

Running was something all vampires were naturally good at. It's supposed to make it easier to hunt. I like to run because I hate conflict. It's flight, not fight. That's the whole reason I was a Cullen in the first place. I wanted to stay alive. At the present moment, I was running at a more human speed. It was raining, so none of the humans were out. Still, I was being overly careful.

I wasn't on a trail or anything, but I could smell a human. Male, young-ish, sweaty. He was probably about half a mile from me. I tried to swallow back the burning thirst, but it just made it worse. I coughed a little, stopped running, and considered turning back. I didn't even move. Despite the sweat, this dude smelled really, _really_ good. I gulped again and stopped breathing. He was coming closer.

_Ah, crud._ It was only a matter of time until I meant someone who wouldn't be repelled by my powers. I closed my eyes, willing him to skirt around my location. I wasn't that luck. I heard him call, "What are you doing out here, kid?"

I spoke without thinking. "I'm nineteen, thank you very much!"

The young man walked through the trees to me. "Really? You're a small nineteen-year-old."

_Damn it! _I didn't breath, move, or look at him. _I'm an idiot! Now I have to kill him and turn my back on my family! _"I'm sorry, dude," I whispered low enough that he wouldn't hear.

"You okay?" The boy grasped my shoulder.

I pulled away from him, hiding my face. The burning was almost too much. "Get. Out. Of. Here," I hissed. "I mean it."

"Wait a second; aren't you the youngest of the Cullen kids? Bree?"

"Guilty as charged, now scat!" I tried to repel him, but it wasn't working. "You already know too much!"

"So, you're not supposed be a seventh grader?"

"DANM IT, DUDE!" I screamed. "WHICH PART OF 'GO' DO YOU NOT GET?"

"Look, Cullen, if you want me to keep this a secret, I can. The entire town knows you're pretty weird and they also think I'm pretty weird. If they think I know something about you, they'll think I'm just being paranoid. It's safe, I promise."


	3. Loon

**3. Loon**

I smelled Jasper to the west of us, and I stared at the human boy with apologetic eyes. If Jasper went after this dude, he didn't have a chance. "I am _really_ sorry about this, dude," I said loud enough for him to hear. "But we need to be one hundred percent sure we're safe."

Jasper was between us as soon the words left my mouth. "Bree, go home," he ordered. "I'll deal with this."

"Jasper, please don't," I begged. "He's not _exactly_ dangerous. He promised not to tell."

"Don't be naïve," he growled, barely looking back at me. "Now, go home."

I moved around him, slightly bumping the human. "He's not going to tell," I repeated. Obviously, my four foot eleven frame was not enough to protect the young man, but I grumbled over my shoulder, "I told you to go, dude." He didn't speak and I didn't bother to look at his expression. I heard him shift a little on the leaves, but he didn't move. "Look at him. He's perfectly calm."

"Bree," Jasper said again. "This doesn't concern you. Go home."

"I'm not a child, Jasper," I replied coolly. "This is my mistake. Let me handle it."

"I'm trying to protect you from the Volturi. You are already on their list. If they get so much as a whisper, you will be punished."

"Yeah, I know that." I rolled my eyes. "But I don't need protected. The Volturi are a bunch of out-of-touch ancient coots. Really, I can probably repel Demetri, and I'm not frightened of Jane."

"You can't control your powers half the time." He pushed me aside. "Go home, Breanne! That's an order!"

With the similarity in our vampire origins, Jasper usually could control with the O-word. This time, however, it didn't work. "I will not let you kill this dude, Jasper. I may have killed Amanda Reed and Morgan Ringwood, but I won't have more human blood on my hands! You taught me better than that, dude!"

The human dude finally reacted. "What exactly is going here?"

Both my brother and I turned to him. "Do you believe in monsters?" I asked softly, almost innocently.

His expression screamed confusion. "What the hell are you talking about, kid?"

I looked up at Jasper, with an evil smirk. "You're right. It was just a delayed reaction." Then, I looked back to the human. "Poor dude." I pouted.

My brother leaned next to my head and whispered in a tone only we could hear, "What are you planning?"

I didn't reply or turn from the young man "Look, dude, I know you heard me. You're not an idiot."

"You're trying to scare me." His voice was considerably higher pitched.

"It's working; isn't it?" Jasper asked, apparently having caught onto my plan. "Bree is pretty good at—what is it called?"

"Creeping people out?" I offered. "But usually only from a distance." I shrugged. "I don't much practice up close, 'cause they don't get close."

Jasper grabbed my shoulder and steered me, so my back was to him. "Sorry," Jasper said with believable—yet fake—sincerity. "My little sister is—distributed. She jokes about a lot of things she shouldn't. Death is among some of her favorite subjects. Don't worry; she is receiving professional help. For now, they want us to support her delusions."

"Yep, dude," I agreed in a sing-song voice, rocking back on my heels and circling an ear with my pointer finger. "I'm a loon."

"Bree, shut up," he ordered, almost meaning it. "You've caused this guy enough trouble." I bit my lip as a symbol of shame. "Really, I'm sorry. No wonder our parents adopted the rest of us. Imagine dealing more of her."

In a human situation, I wouldn't have heard the tail end of that comment, and it took a lot not to laugh. He had managed to tie in our current life-story. That's how I got away with pretending to be so young. I was Carlisle and Esme's in the human world. They married young, apparently.

Anyway, the dude was looking at me and I was looking over my shoulder. Thinking back to my human days, I blew a raspberry. He laughed. "I will admit; she is adorable."

---

As I walked into the house, Emmett clapped my shoulder. "Alice told me what you decided to do. Brilliant."

I slid onto the kitchen counter, swinging my legs. "I'd rather he thought I was crazy than suspect the rest of us. In a human's mind, a crazy girl who knows two names from a five-year-old cold case is plausible. The existence of vampires and shape-shifters, however, is impossible."

"Now, they can't accidently connect you the cold cases, right?"

"Bree Cullen would have been seven. Could a seven-year-old kill twenty-nine people?"

"Not if she was human. So, how did you come up with the idea?"

"Criminal Minds."

"That TV show about the FBI people who catch killers by figuring out what type of crazy they are?"

"Yep. The writing dudes come up with some pretty twisted stuff. Of course, it wouldn't have worked without Jasper, even if he went a little far."

"Bree," Alice said running into the kitchen. "And you say you're not smart."

"I'm not an _intellectual_," I corrected. "And I know very little. In moments of stress, I have strokes of genius. It's like a brain-fart, only opposite."

"I'll let you correct the grammar in that last statement."

"Hell of a greeting, Edward," I mumbled. "I know I should have said, 'It's the opposite of a brain-fart.' Using like or similar with only and an antonym like opposite is inappropriate. I got it. It's not like any of you have brain-farts anyway. Let me have my moments."

With in minutes, the entire family and the wolves (minus Embry, I noted) were in the kitchen talking about anything and everything, from my mini stroke of genius to when the next hunt was. I just sat on the counter, still swinging my legs and thinking. The moment was full of joking, elbowing, and laughing. I didn't even really care that my favorite jokester was missing.

"Speaking of which, Bree, sweetie, have you done your homework?"

I hadn't caught what brought my schoolwork up, but I jumped lightly off from my elevated position, and said, "No, Mom. Not yet. I guess I should go up to my room where it's quiet." Then, I tapped myself of the forehead. "Ah crud, I left my school bag in the Volvo. I have to go out and get. Oh well."

Edward looked briefly away from his conversation with Bella and Jacob. "I put on your desk chair."

"That's convenient. Thanks, Edward. I'm going to go upstairs for a few hours."

Esme kissed my forehead. "Have fun, sweetie."

I was already half-way up the stairs when I snorted. "Sure, Mom. Whatever."


	4. Tranpearant

**4. Transparent**

The next few weeks passed without incident. My classmates avoided me. We went hunting one weekend. I continued to perfect my fake sleeping, ignored the disappearance of my former best friend, smiled when expected, spoke when spoken to, and no one suspected that I was dying inside. Not even Edward seemed to notice.

Things changed on a cloudy Friday. This place wasn't that different from Forks, Washington but I hadn't bothered to learn the name of the town yet. I was sitting outside the middle school, arms wrapped around my knees, waiting for a ride home, when the dude from the woods walked up to me. "Hey, kid!"

I was resting my head on my knees, and I didn't move. I already knew it was him. I could feel the added burn in the back of my throat and could smell him from several yards off.

"I believe you," he said simply.

"What?" I asked in surprise, looking up at him.

"You're not crazy, kid. You and your brother are amazing actors though."

I blinked a few times, too shocked to speak. "Okay?" I said slowly, but only after a decent, lengthy, and awkward silence. "Whatever."

The young man sat down next to me. "I might have overwhelmed you there. Sorry. Name's Conner Lewis." He held out his hand, as if offering to shake mine.

I ignored the appendage. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. Leave me alone."

"You really don't like other people, do you?"

"Nope." I pretended to be looking for something in my school bag. "Now, go away."

"Did you honestly think you can get rid of me that easily?"

I glared at him. "Fine, you can stay if you want," I replied. "But there at least six males in my household at any given time, one of which is sort of like my boyfriend."

"So those Native Americas _are_ connected to the Cullens? I thought so."

I had to react to that. I didn't mind the stares, but his tone was horrible. It was one of sudden understanding. "Okay, dude," I said, standing. "If you're just gonna bad mouth my family while talking to yourself, you can leave." I pointed down the path he had come up on.

He didn't move. Apparently, four eleven is not a very threatening height. "Sit back down before you do something stupid, kid. Like fall."

"Cullens don't trip." Okay, that didn't begin to cover what we were, but it worked.

"Aren't you the only one of your siblings that is actually a Cullen?"

"Technically speaking, yes," I said, flawlessly. The story was well rehearsed and the response came naturally. "I am the only genetic Cullen. Do you have anymore stupid questions, dude, or can I walk home now?"

"You're going to _walk_ home?"

"That's what I said." I grabbed my bag. "Can I go now?"

"Can I give you a ride?" he countered.

"I'm twelve, dude."

"Pretending to be twelve," he corrected.

I would have ignored the comment, but that would have made the lie obvious. "You're high, dude. Seriously, you're crazier than I am when I'm off my meds."

"So, that day in the woods you were off your meds?"

"Yes."

"What meds are you on exactly?"

"You expect me to remember a bunch of long complicated medication names?"

"Wow, kid," he said finally breaking the cycle, "You're good, but I'm better. I _will _figure this out."

"Sure," I said, starting down the path instead. "Good luck with that."

---

"Hey, Bree."

"Afternoon, Jacob," I replied, trying to walk past the smelly wolf known as Jacob Black. "I have homework to do, dude. Are you going to let me in?"

"No way, mini bloodsucker. I need to know what you did to Embry first."

"Told him I needed space. Seriously, dude, you and your stench are blocking my way in. Move your ass."

"So, it's your fault Embry went back to La Push to look for someone to imprint on?"

"I told him not to go," I sighed, "but it is better this way; trust me. Now, let me in." I fit perfectly under his arm, so I stepped under it. "Too late, dude." I smirked. "I guess I'm already in." I started up the stairs.

"Fine!" he called after me. "You can act like you don't care anymore! Just remember that you're pretty easy to read!"

I ignored him, slammed my bedroom door, and threw my backpack on the bed. It cracked and broke in two under the force of the throw. I ignored that too.

"You want to talk?" Alice asked, sitting on the edge ruined bed.

"Nope."

"You what to pick what you're wear tomorrow?"

"Same thing I wear everyday. A pair of jeans, a cotton shirt, and my tennis shoes." Okay, that was a lie. Sometimes I steal one of Emmett's longer shirts, fasten a belt loosely around my waist, and call it a dress.

"You are _so_ boring, Bree. Now, that Conner Lewis guy you keep running into, he's interesting."

I rolled my eyes. "What you'd see?"

"He's nineteen, he goes the college fifty miles from here, and he's coming tomorrow. He's going to retell the story of what happened in the woods to Carlisle and Esme to make sure they know what's going on."

"That dude's not going to give up, is he?"

"He likes you and he knows that you aren't as young as you claim to be. If you and Embry can't work it out—"

"Don't even think about it!" I interrupted. "He's a human!"

"You know you like him," she teased. "And from what I've seen, he's cute. Once he gets to know you—"

"Absolutely not! I want nothing to do with dudes who happen to be male and unrelated to me for the next—I don't know—seven decades!"

"You say that now…" she replied maliciously. "But you can't stop Conner. He's special. Didn't you notice that you wouldn't repel him?"

"That was a fluke. He distracted me; that's all."

Rosalie, Nessie, and Bella chose that exact moment to crash the discussion. "Of all the possible people to join our family," Rose complained. "Why'd it have to be someone so transparent?"

Again, Rose and I don't get along. I don't why; we just work that way. "Shut up, Rose. You've been making the same general statement for five years. It's getting old."

Instead of replying to my comment, Rose walked out of the room with a huff. Bella smiled apologetically, and Nessie said, "Don't mind Aunt Rosie. She's having a horrible day."

I smiled at her, sadly. "It's okay, Little Dude. I'm having a bad day too."

"You really should stop calling me Little Dude," she replied, putting a hand on my face. Images of her face in a mirror flashed in order of age, along with memories of just her and I through out the years. The closer we got in mental age, the closer we seemed to be socially. "Feel any better?"

Leave it up to my niece to make me feel happy. "Yeah," I said, smile widening to Joker-like quality. "I was just having boy problems. Or rather problems in involving multiple boys who are not related to us. I'm always having problems."

"I can't relate, sorry," she replied. "The only boy I need is my Jake."

Oh how jealous I was of imprinting. It made everything simpler. It's not like I wanted Embry to imprint on me. In fact, my one desire was that he's imprint on someone else. We both needed someone else.

"So," Alice asked. "How are you going to explain the vampire thing to Conner?"

"I'm not into the dude," I replied defiantly.

"Face it Bree," Bella said, squeezing my shoulder. "You're almost incapable of lying. You're going to end up telling him something truthful."

"Yes, one of the many vampire traits I am mysteriously lacking," I mumbled. "Like the ability to think clearly in normal situations."

"There's no such thing as normal when you're a Cullen."

"Whatever dude," I snorted. "Now, will all you dudes please leave me alone? I have a paper to write for History, and I have a D."


	5. He's Dead, I Get It!

**As I am sure, some of you noticed the last chapter was messed up a little. I fixed it, thanks to krazykook. You might have saved my ass, dude. I give you a digital cookie!**

**This chapter is also for Guns and Drums, who seems to think I am awesome.**

**5. He's Dead, I Get It**

Jasper sat with me the following morning. I didn't know why he bothered. I had no intention of attacking poor Conner Lewis. Lewis was just a human, after all. Humans didn't matter. Oh, who was I kidding? If humans didn't matter, why did I feed on animals? If I put such a low value on human life, why didn't I just feed on him? It would be easy to kill him.

Almost too easy.

Jasper squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I must."

I instantly relaxed, and couldn't curse my brother for controlling me. The fidgeting stopped and I sighed in false contentment. I couldn't even bring myself to repel him or glare. He had figured out how to override my instincts. I wasn't strong enough to fight his powers today. "Thanks," I whispered.

"You're welcome, Bree," he replied. "I could tell you needed my help. I haven't seen you this nervous since the first day of school."

I laughed, amusement not blocked. "I guess I _am _pretty transparent," I admitted, as loud as I dared.

"Bree, sweetie, could you please come down here?" Mom called from downstairs.

The volume wasn't necessary, but I tossed my hair to make it look like I had just gotten up. I sighed dramatically, walked down the stairs, and scratched the back of my head. "Morning, Mom. Morning, Dad."

"Afternoon's more like it," Conner Lewis laughed. "Hi, Bree."

At his words, the burning in my throat became noticeable. I grimaced slightly at the pain. I nodded politely instead of speaking.

"Bree," Carlisle said, patting the sofa beside him. "Conner was just telling what happened a few weeks ago."

The instincts from my early years as a Cullen resulted me in sitting on the floor at his feet. "We've already talked about this," I mumbled. "I thought I wasn't in trouble."

There was an unfamiliar fatherly tone to his voice. It wasn't quite anger, but it was clear he wasn't pleased. It was harsh and echoed in my ears, almost burning. "And yesterday."

_Ah crud. _The only ones that really knew what happened yesterday were Alice and Edward. I hadn't told my parents yet. I had assumed Alice had already told them. Why'd she decide to honor my privacy today of all days? "Sorry, dudes, I guess it slipped my mind."

Esme squeezed my shoulder. "We understand privacy, Bree, but this is important." This was honestly the first time Mom and Dad acted like normal parents. I had a feeling it wasn't for show. They were honestly upset with me. It was _so_ weird.

"You could have told us," Carlisle said, still being brutally honest. "We don't ask much of you. Honesty would be nice."

This was almost too much. They were _never _strict. They _never_ got angry. "Seriously, Dad, I didn't mean to risk it all like this. Really." I was desperate to find some sign that they were faking it. I was getting nothing, nada, and zilch. This was real. "I'm sorry."

"We know, sweetie," Esme whispered. "But Conner has some serious concerns."

"How much does he know?" I asked, finally looking up at our guest.

"Everything," he said, sliding onto the floor.

His movement brought another wave of burning thirst. I gulped it back and silently hoped Jasper was watching. "Everything?" I squeaked. "As in _everything_, everything?" Meaning 'the vampire everything'

Conner patted my knee. "They told me what happened to you last year," he explained.

I moved away from his touch, not sure of the message it was sending. What did he mean by last year anyway? Nothing had happened last year. I couldn't remember a single moment that stood out. "What?"

Esme got off the couch and hugged me. "We're sorry, sweetie," she said loud enough for Conner to hear. Then, so he couldn't: "We told him Riley died last year."

I blinked. Of course, they had to bring up Riley. I guess the only thing I could be thankful or was that they didn't bring up Embry instead. I was going be in so much trouble when all this crap was over; I was sure of it. "Oh." I replied flatly.

"Bree, you need to face this."

"Oh, so this is about my unresolved feelings for Riley!"

"Bree—"

"Shut up!" I cut Carlisle off. "I'm out of here!"

---

**Despite my usually length, I'm keeping it short. I know you were all waiting for an update. I've got like six projects going on at once here.**


	6. Just Friends

I didn't know what happened back there. I had epically freaked out. Moments like that reminded me that I was trapped in the body of a fourteen year old. The hormoes seem to trap me in a pubesant-like state of mind. I'd find myself fighting to clear my head and struggling to understand. Orginally, I thought I'd mature out of these episodes, and, at first, it got better. But lately…

It was worse.

I was falling apart, and all I wanted to do was cry. I could sob, but no tears would come. I wanted the tears. I wanted proof that I was still, some how, human-ish. I wouldn't go as far to say I wanted to bleed, but I wanted to know I could be more than confused or angry. My head started pounding and the only thing I could do was scream.

No one came to talk to me. I think it was because they've explained as much of this as they can. It is a clear inability to adapt. The younger a person is when they are turned, the harder it is for them to gain control. If they were pubesant, the control comes eventually. If they weren't, there's no hope. And me?

I was a late bloomer.

I didn't want to face the fact that I kept loosing it. If the Volturi got a whiff of this, I was dead. No. I was deader than dead. I was damned. Not even my family could save me if the Volturi discovered my diffculties. The last thing I wanted to do was die, but it seemed like I had a talent for attraching situations that could lead to me being dead. Too bad I couldn't move situations as well as objects and people. It would make life so much easier.

I also knew that having a power like that was impossible. As little as I knew about quatum phyiscs and the space time continuim, I still knew that changing the past, present, and furture was not something you wanted to do.

Suddenly, a familiar—and stinky—shadow loomed over me. "Bree?" it whispered. "Jasper told me you were out here."

I jumped up and hugged my over-sized best friend. "Embry, I'm _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to tell you to go. Jake's really mad at me and there's this human dude who won't leave me alone and Mom and Dad are well, acting like actual parents and I have this math test on Monday and I'm starting to remember why I hated seventh grade so much the first time and I think I'm going—"

He kissed me again and as he pulled away, he asked, "You know what I think?"

I shook my head. My breath seemed to be caught in my throat.

"That I just found a way to keep you from talking."

I didn't tell him the best way to make me shut up was to sit me in the junior high auditoruim with the seventh, eighth, _and_ ninth graders. I couldn't speak at all. It was like when I was pretending to be foster kid from Boston named Annie. This time it wasn't because I was going to kill the next human that got close to me, of course.

"Bree, we need to start—I mean stop—acting like we can ignore this."

Finally, I got the nerve to say, "Embry, I _do_ like you—I like you a lot, actually—but I'm not sure I'm ready to get involved with _any_ dude right now." I stepped away from him. "You're sweet and—I'll admit—totally hot, but I'm going to be fourteen for the rest of my existence. It's a major ethical issuse."

"How is it an ethical problem?"

"Did you imprint on me?" I ventured. "And, yeah, it's been explained to me."

"I—I—No."

"Despite how old I am emtionally, I'll always look fourteen. You'll always look like you're twenty-seven. If we were to—" I couldn't say it. "—you know—and the mortals were to find out one of two things could happen. You could get your butt arressted and become an offender, or—and this is the worst—some idoit could figure out what I am."

"Bree—"

"I'm being serious, Embry. If someone figures out what any of us are, we're all going to be in big trouble with the Volturi. I'd run and I'm pretty sure they'd rip my head off without a second thought."

He stared at me, "I don't understand."

"Okay, dude, take two." I took a shaky breath. "We're just friends, got it?"

He reached out to touch my arm. "You're kidding."

I turned my shoulder and pushed him as softly as I dared. "I'm not afraid to do that with my mind every time you get within a yard."

He hung his head and walked off.

"Bree, can we talk?"

It was several days after the Conner-Embry incident, and Edward was standing in my doorway.

I nodded. "Shoot."

"Embry imprinted on someone."

"Good for him," I said honestly. "I was tired of fighting of him."

"You aren't upset?"

"Lust is dangerous, Edward. I like having my head attached to my neck. You could have asked Jasper what I was feeling rather then confronting me about it."

"How did your Gemeotry test go?"

"Grades don't matter when you live forever," I replied. "But I got a 89."

"And your spelling test?"

"Is tomorrow. Go way, please."


	7. Runaway

**Hey, dudes and dudettes. Time for a brief explanation of what's going on. I know that **_Stuck_** ended with the summary, and it would make perfect sense for me to end **_Progress_ **the same way, but I'm not going it. This was supposed to be a trilogy, the third title being **_The Runaway_**, but I'm having serious problems writing a lot of the filler for this one. Originally, Bree was supposed accidently kill Conner Lewis and be so ashamed she leaves, but I couldn't figure out to get to that point. Instead, I'm editing and lengthening the original epilogue and pushing **_The Runaway_** into **_Progress_. **I'm also considering changing the title.**

**KL **

**7. Runaway**

I stood at my closet, listening to the tiny voice in my head. _They don't expect you to change. They only do when you mess up, after all. You're nineteen, Bree, and they're not your parents. Just go. You don't have to say good bye._

I was dressed in a grey sports tank and jean shorts and no shoes. There was no need for shoes where I was going. I threw a pair of jeans and a jacket into a small green backpack for when I was around humans and ran down to the kitchen.

"Hey, Carlisle, I need to talk to you!" I yelled.

"Hello, sweetie. What's wrong?"

"I didn't say I wanted to talk _with_ you, Carlisle," I hissed. "I wanted to talk_ to _you. There's a difference."

I think he caught my use of his first name. Everyone else (smelly and non) were out hunting. Instead of speaking, he nodded. His face became blank, nearly impossible to read. It was the same expression he probably put on when a patient's symptoms were not-so good.

"I'm leaving, dude," I said, in what I silently hoped was a firm voice. "And I'm not going to come back. I thought I was making progress, but really, I wasn't. It feels like you won't let me. You're all kind of—well—you never change. It's the same thing, day in and day out. You can't act like real parents now when you haven't before. I've been here for five years and I've only been grounded once. You know nothing about parenting anyone younger than twenty mentally. Hell, even Nessie is a more developed then I am!"

"Bree, we don't expect you to be able to handle everything."

"You don't expect to do anything on my own at all! I'm a teenager, Carlisle! I don't need Edward to make sure I did my homework! I don't need Alice to dress me! I don't need Jasper control everything!"

Then, I said something I would majorly regret later.

"I don't need a family!" The door slammed behind me.

I made to the nearby city within minutes and walked into a gas-station convenience store. "Excuse me?" I asked, trying to sound like a twelve year old. "Do you have a map? I'm lost."

"What do you want?" The young man behind the counter folded his paper, and raised his eyebrows. "Little Bree Cullen? Do your parents know you're here?" I instantly wished I had chosen another gas-station. Conner Lewis worked here on the weekends. His expression quickly went from annoyance to concern.

I should have turned to run, but I was rooted to the ground in fear. _Well, __**that**__ didn't go according to plan, _I thought with a gulp. "Oh, um, hi, dude."

"Oh, Bree," he said with a shake of his head. "Really, running away from home won't solve your problems."

"I'm pretty sure my—Alice—I'm pretty sure Alice knows I'm here."

"Brad, can you handle the front counter?" He didn't wait for 'Brad' to come out and grabbed me by the shoulder. "Come on, let's talk."

If I hadn't known that the store had several cameras, I would have killed him right there. I didn't want to kill him, but I'd have to soon. It was the only way to tie up all the loose ends. "Dude," I said. "Go back to work. Walk away."

I couldn't repel him, but I wasn't expecting to. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. What happened this time?"

"That's not any of your business."

"Start at the beginning," he ordered. "I need to know everything. Who are you?"

I decided I'd tell the truth for once. I had already decided I would kill him anyway. "I was born in April 1992 in Seattle. My name was Breanne Wilson."

"You're adopted, then?"

"I'm not done, dude. Shush. My parents never got married or anything, but I did have an older brother. He was killed when I was two. I almost died when I was seven because I got leukemia, but I was okay. When I turned fourteen, I was attacked by a classmate—Riley."

"The boy who died?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure you've heard that there was a serial killer there at the time?"

"Was it the Riley boy?"

"It was actually twenty different people. Um, I was one of them, but I've been told it wasn't my fault. I had just been turned."

"Turned? You can't possibly mean that you're a—"

I smirked. "Vampire."

"I was going to say werewolf, but…" Then he paused, apparently thinking about my words. "Wait. You said vampire."

"Yes, I said vampire."

"What…"

"I'm sorry, dude." I reached up and snapped his neck.


	8. Author's Note

Hey, you guys! It's KL and this is not an actual chapter of any sort! I'm pasting this identical note on every single WIP (Work in Progress) fiction I have. Writing _Defining Merci_ (FYI, it's a Criminal Minds fiction) had pushed my mind into a v. dark place and even my college professors are noticing. Therefore, I have decided to not write anything for Merci for a least a month and choose only one not as dark fiction to write that entire month and post one chapter a week.

That is starting in July. For the rest of June I'm not writing anything, but I am putting a poll up so you lot can choose what fiction I focus on for July Here are you choices:

_Progress_, sequel to _Stuck_, a Bree Twilight fiction

_Darkness Always Comes: the Diary of Felicity Anne Peachflint_, an Original Character Harry Potter fiction

_Dark Moon_, a True Werewolf Twilight fiction

_Denying the Moon, _a True Werewolf Twilight fiction

_Little Moon, _a True Werewolf Twilight fiction

_Falling in Love on the 3__rd__ floor, _a Spencer/OC Criminal Minds fiction

I will not count review only votes. You use poll or not get counted at all. Also, it will be a blind poll.


	9. Dark Side

**8. Dark Side**

Snapping Lewis' neck made me unbelievably thirsty. The venom started flood my mouth. I couldn't keep myself my kneeling at his throat and piercing the soft flesh with my teeth. The smooth red liquid sloshed back into my throat.

For the first time in a long a time, I found myself getting full on one specimen. Conner was average sized, but he was my first human since Morgan Ringwood. Remembering this, I stopped drinking. I knew the names of every human I killed before I killed them. I jumped away from Conner's body, startled.

I wasn't sure if I had drained him completely or not but I didn't stop to think about it. I just kept running away. _Stop thinking, Bree, _I ordered. _Thinking is stupid. Thinking is dangerous._

I don't know how long I ran or what direction I was going, but I suddenly smelled wet dog. A familiar wet dog. I shook my head but instantly whispered, "Embry?"

"Your eyes…" he replied just as softly.

I shrugged. "What's her name?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who did you imprint on?" I explained. "Edward told me before I left."

"I didn't," he mumbled. "I asked Edward to lie."

"What? You know how I feel about lying!"

"You're one to talk about morals, Bree. Your eyes are red. What made you leave?"

"Lots of things," I answered. "I don't have to tell you. I'm going."

"Going where?"

"Don't know. Don't care. I might try to swim the Atlantic. It's not like I need to breathe."

"Who have you—you know—on?"

"Some gas station employee. Don't look so worried; I lured him out into an alley. Although, I think I may have gotten on camera." I shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Nothing does. Bye, bye."

With that causal lie, I jumped over him and started toward the smell of seawater.

Swimming came surprisingly naturally to me. I don't know how long was out in the ocean. Edward was right to believe that it was easy to lose track of time when you were alone. I hit land at night, not really caring about what country I was in. I'd figure it out when I met a human.

I slid off my backpack, which was soaking wet, and put on the jeans and jacket. It would dry as soon the sun came up. I slid the backpack back onto my back and started up the hill. Morning came, and I found myself in what appeared to be a town market. It was bright, so I flipped the hood over my head and pulled my arms into sleeves.

People started pointing and yelling at me in what sounded like Portuguese. I ignored them, gracefully weaving through the crowd like I wasn't even there. Then, I heard someone yell in familiarly accented English. "Little one!"

But it was the scent put me on edge. There was a Volturi behind me.

_Oh crap. _I stopped moving and waited for whoever it was to identify themselves.

"What brings you to Portugal?"

I turned to face the skinny dark-headed male. I didn't need to explain myself, so I shrugged.

"You've come to the dark side." He smirked. "Wait, I could have sworn you could talk."

"I can when I want to," I replied loftily. "But you, dude, are not someone I want to talk to." I examined my nails apathetically. "And so, this dudette takes her leave."

"Aro told me you were flighty, but he never told me you were a coward."

I shrugged again. "Are you trying to recruit me? Because it's not working."

"Come on, little one. You may be tiny and have no apparent abilities, but there's some use for you."

"The head honcho knows more then he's let on, dude," I replied. "Ask nicely and I'll consider it."

"You're flirting."

"No, I'm not."

"Are to."

"Am not."

"Are to."

"No wonder you didn't bring reinforcements. You're so silly you might actually convince me to come along."

"He's not alone."

_Dang it! _"I remember you," I groaned. "You're Felix, the dude who almost tore my head off. Scratch that lat part. A lot of people seem to want to do that. It's really not a defining trait."

"And you're the tiny Cullen who doesn't see the future."

"True. I'm the tiny _telekinetic_ dudette."

"What?" Both vampires said in surprise.

"Telekinetic." I spoke slowly and tapped my forehead. "I can move things with my mind. I wasn't told the big bad immortal army was full of stupid dudes."

Felix growled and Demetri looked like he was on the verge of laughter.

"Say, do either one of you think I smell like cookies?"

Demetri chuckled. "Where did that come from?"

"Do I or don't I?"

Felix thought for a moment. "You smell more like funnel cake."

"What?" Demetri and I asked together.

"Carney food?" I demanded. "Really? That's worse than what Embry came up with! Forget I asked!"

"What's a funnel cake?"

"We're not missing anything," Felix said. "I've never like them."

"You dudes are annoying. Look, am I allowed to go or am I under arrest—or whatever it is you people call it."

"There's no way for us to know why you left, but you know where to find us. Cause any problems and we'll find you again."

"Got it. Good bye."


	10. Elizabeth

**Guns and Drums is very good at reminding me that I need to update, without actually saying it. I haven't given up on writing this, I swear!**

**9. Elizabeth**

That goodbye turned out to be a lie. I seemed to naturally gravitate toward Italy. I wasn't even being careful about it. It was strange because I hated them. It was understandable because I secretly missed that family connection. I didn't know it at the time. If I had realized, I would have gone back to Cullens. I hadn't fed since Conner anyway.

When I was almost there, I came across another redeye, my own kind, I reminded myself.

She was my size, with long blonde hair and ratty clothes. "Are you going to Volterra?" she asked.

I didn't speak.

"My name is Elizabeth," she said.

I nodded. I didn't care. Having her beside me was enough company.

"What's your name?"

"Bree." I stopped walking. "There's a village over there. We better be careful."

"Why would we need to be careful?"

"The Volturi." I spat the name.

"You're coming to see them and you hate them?" she said surprise. "That's strange."

"No place else to go." I shrugged. She was starting to annoy me, but I didn't want to fight.

"You must be relatively new if you want a coven."

"My fam—coven—" I coughed at my slip up. "My coven no longer wanted me to be with them. I'm five."

"What did you do? You'll have to forgive me for prying, I don't understand covens."

"I don't know," I lied.

We slipped into silence as we ran. After several minutes, Elizabeth asked, "Do the Volturi know all of the vampires?"

I shrugged.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Haven't spoken since I saw Felix and Demetri."

"Are they you're old oven mates?"

I shook my head "Volturi guard."

"I'm from 1870 and I don't know half of what you do. Why do you know who the Volturi are?"

"They and my coven aren't friends."

"You're one of the golden eyes, aren't you?"

I stared at her, "Do I look like a golden eye, Elizabeth?"

She flinched. "No, I'm sorry. I've only know just considered looking into who we are, you know? I've tried so long to not act like I'm a vampire and I'm dying of thirst and yet not dying. Do you why it works like that?"

"Immortality sucks."

She ignored my comment. "I know I don't sound like most vampires from my time, but I've tried really hard to blend in. I watch a lot of those television things. You're really only five? You act so much older."

"I haven't had blood in several weeks, maybe months. It's hard to figure out how long I've been gone."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. No one's sent has caught my nose I guess."

"How can you ignore the burning?" she asked in apparent amazement.

"Da—My coven leader does it easily enough." At the mention of it, I could feel the dull ache. "I should feed before we get there though. I might have to fight them. Bad blood, you know." Then, I smiled. "Horrible pun, sorry."

"How old were you when it happened?"

"Fourteen. You?"

"Sixteen, I think. I don't really remember. My past is a bit strange."

"Do explain."

"I'm not entirely sure what my family chose to do was legal."

Her use of the word family caught me off guard. "I don't mean to be rude, dude, but what do mean by family? Your coven?"

"No, I mean my actual blood relatives. Including my daughter, Scarlett, who is a half-human. I married a vampire when I was a human and after he saved mine and Scarlett's life, my parents burned him."

"I thought Bella was the only human to survive having a hybrid baby. And in 1870? That's amazing…"

"Bella?" she asked.

"Coven mate. Her daughter Nessie and I are the same age."

"What is Nessie like? Is she venomous like my Scarlett?"

"There's a girl hybrid who's venomous? The Volturi are going to love you!" I hugged her. "That takes a lot of the pressure off of me!"

"Why would they pressure you?" Elizabeth asked, pushing me away. "You seem rather innocent."

I snorted. "Dude, you have no idea." I pointed toward a town surrounded by walls. "I think this it. Now, we wait for dark."


	11. Welcome to the Guard

**10. Welcome to The Guard**

We were greeted outside the city by a guard member that looked like he was of South American heritage. "Hello. I am Santiago. You are the small Cullen, correct?"

"Was," I corrected, dully.

"And you are?" Santiago asked Elizabeth slowly.

"Elizabeth. I need to speak to someone named Aro. I heard he could help me." I think my eyes may have widened because Elizabeth looked at me. "Are you okay, Bree?"

"Dude," I whispered then I cursed. "I forgot that Aro would know everything the second he touches me."

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

I looked at Santiago. "Can't avoid it, can I?"

He shook his head. "If you have something to do with the Newborn in Boston, no."

"There's a Newborn in Boston?" I gasped. "Dang!" There was only one person it could possibly be…

"Bree!" Elizabeth called from a few feet away. "Come on!"

I ignored my surroundings as we walked to wherever we were going. I was too busy thinking that my head was about to be no longer attached my body. The next thing I knew a voice was breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Bree, my young friend, are you alright?"

I smiled nervously at Aro. "I'm really sorry, dude. It had been so long since I had a human, I forgot to burn him."

"No harm done. Your family is has already handled it, apparently."

"They're not my family," I said, physically pushing away from him. "Not anymore. I'm done with them." I looked around me. "Where's Elizabeth? Did I miss something?"

Aro hung his head. "I wanted to speak to you first, Bree. Elizabeth's story is interesting. Do you believe it?"

"It's not my place to say, dude. Can't just see it my thoughts anyway?"

"I know what happens when you are upset. We don't have to want to hurt you." He smiled, seeming sincere. "What do you need from us, Bree?"

I took a shaking breath, something a vampire didn't do very often, and spoke without thinking. "I want a place in the guard. I need a place to belong. I know you don't like my last coven, but I'm different now. Please. I need the connection. I'm cut out to be a nomad. Please." I sounded desperate, and I was. "I know I'm always welcome with them, but right now…"

"Is Carlisle aware that you came here?" Aro asked softly.

"Alice probably told him the second I told you. I've tried not to think about where I was going to go. It's kept me from hunting, so I'm a little weak." I looked toward the door, on the verge of running. "I promise I'll stay out of city, but I need it. It'll give you some time to deal with Elizabeth and think about it."

Aro's smile widened. "Of course, child. Please tell Elizabeth to come in as you leave."

I nodded and practically ran from the room. "You're next," I whispered to the blonde vampire. "He knows everything I do."

Then, in what seemed like a flash, I was in the forest outside of the ancient city. Instead of finding a human, I killed several deer. It took less time and I didn't want to think about it anyway. Alice probably saw it and relayed it as if it was good news.

I snorted at the thought, a small amount of blood coming through my nose. The pain barely registered.

Sometime later, Felix and Demetri (didn't know why they were so good at finding me and really didn't care) found me. "What is this?" Demetri asked. "I thought you were one of us."

"Old habits die hard, I guess." I stood. "What do you want?"

"Prove it." Felix's words were sharp and confusing.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aro say he's seen it in several people's minds but we don't always believe him," Demetri half-explained.

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

"You've told us you were."

"Oh, that." It should have been obvious. "Sure." I reached above and broke a smaller branch. "Um, I'm not good at doing this without being upset, but I'll try. Hold this."

Demetri took it, almost like he was holding a wand.

"Dude, I can't move it if your fingers are in the way."

He balanced it on an open palm. "What now?"

"Quiet!" I hissed, not taking my eyes off it.

It started floating and Demetri jumped several yards back. The stick floated for an intense 30 seconds and then crashed to the ground.

"Welcome to the guard," Felix said, also wide-eyed. "You've passed the test."


End file.
